GENEVA \u2014 This may be the 17th year the city has been cited for support of its urban forest, but officials aren\u2019t taking the honor for granted.<\/p>\n
To them, it\u2019s a big deal.<\/p>\n
The city was honored at the New York State Urban Forestry Council\u2019s annual recognition event March 12 in Fayetteville, Onondaga County, where Public Works Director Joe Venuti and Buildings and Grounds staff member John Carroll accepted Geneva\u2019s Tree City USA designation. The recognition is in partnership with the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Arbor Day Foundation.<\/p>\n
The city first applied for Tree City USA in 1999.<\/p>\n
Tree City USA is an annual national recognition program designed to raise awareness of the value of community trees, set foundational standards for communities of all sizes, and celebrate community improvement.<\/p>\n
City officials say it\u2019s an accomplishment earned with its partners.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are proud to continue our Tree City USA distinction in the City of Geneva, a reflection of our shared commitment to stewardship, sustainability, and community pride,\u201d City Manager Amie Hendrix said. \u201cThis achievement is made possible through the ongoing support and dedication of our Shade Tree Committee, Green Committee, and the hardworking members of our Department of Public Works. Together, they help ensure that Geneva remains a beautiful, vibrant place to live, work, and grow for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a great accomplishment for our community, and I want to thank everyone who played a part in helping us achieve this designation,\u201d Venuti said. \u201cTrees play an important role in the quality of life for residents and the health of our environment. DPW is excited to provide additional plantings in 2026 that will continue to strengthen our urban forest.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jim Norwalk, chair of the city\u2019s Shade Tree Committee, said the city needs to meet some benchmarks to be designated a tree city, including having a dedicated budget focused on tree plantings and maintenance, as well as a standing tree committee. He said the city encourages residents to plant trees through the Shade Tree Committee Arbor Day 100 Tree Giveaway, which takes place April 25 on Scott LaFaro Drive in downtown Geneva. These trees are for residents\u2019 yards, not right-of-ways, Norwalk noted.<\/p>\n
The Shade Tree Committee also supports city reforestation efforts through firewood sales overseen by Tom Burrall, a former City Council member. The money raised is donated to the city\u2019s tree budget, Norwalk noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat number is never enough,\u201d he said. \u201cTree removal is very expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Norwalk noted that the Shade Tree Committee also grows a variety of trees at the city\u2019s Doran Street property, property that includes Geneva\u2019s wastewater treatment operations. The city plants those trees, Norwalk said.<\/p>\n
Norwalk, who has a master\u2019s degree in forestry, advises the city and residents on planting the right trees in the right places.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"GENEVA \u2014 This may be the 17th year the city has been cited for support of its urban…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45346,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[26100,26087,26097,26088,26095,26092,26093,65,26096,5946,5947,26091,26099,26102,26090,26101,26089,26094,23330,26098],"class_list":{"0":"post-45345","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-geneva","8":"tag-arbor-day","9":"tag-arbor-day-foundation","10":"tag-conservation-biology","11":"tag-environmental-conservation","12":"tag-forestry","13":"tag-forestry-and-the-environment","14":"tag-forests","15":"tag-geneva","16":"tag-land-management","17":"tag-landscape","18":"tag-natural-environment","19":"tag-natural-resource-management","20":"tag-natural-resources","21":"tag-nature-conservation","22":"tag-primary-sector-of-the-economy","23":"tag-tree","24":"tag-trees","25":"tag-trees-and-humans","26":"tag-urban-forest","27":"tag-urban-forestry"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ch\/116363742728653332","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45345"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45345\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}